Thieves stole two Renoir paintings from a museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera on Tuesday (September 8) after breaking in a little before 6 a.m. through a hole made in a garden fence, the local mayor said.

Local resident Luc, who lives next door to the southern French Renoir Museum, where thieves stole paintings on Tuesday, remembered police knocking on his door before 7 a.m.

“I was woken up by the police officers at a quarter to seven, it was strange. I was asking, ‘What’s going on?’” he said. “Well, there was no one. I live up there, and next door are elderly residents. So, yes, they (thieves) were left alone, unfortunately.”

The thieves had taken two more paintings by the famous Impressionist artist, but dropped them in the gardens as police, alerted by alarms, arrived and gave chase. The two stolen paintings were "Madame Colonna Romano" and "Young Woman at the Well", the municipality said. Both belong to Paris' famous Orsay Museum and were on loan to Cagnes-sur-Mer's Renoir museum.

The most valuable works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir have fetched dozens of millions of dollars at auctions

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Neighbour of France's Renoir Museum recounts early hours of day of robbery

VIDEO SHOWS: POLICE NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM WHERE THIEVES STOLE PAINTINGS IN ROBBERY / SOUNDBITES OF RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR MUSEUM / STILLS OF POLICE NEAR MUSEUM

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS FRENCH SPEECH (NOT REFLECTED IN SLATE)

SHOWS: Neighbour of France's Renoir Museum recounts early hours of day of robbery

VIDEO SHOWS: POLICE NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM WHERE THIEVES STOLE PAINTINGS IN ROBBERY / SOUNDBITES OF RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR MUSEUM / STILLS OF POLICE NEAR MUSEUM

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS FRENCH SPEECH (NOT REFLECTED IN SLATE)

SHOWS: CAGNES-SUR-MER, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 8, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

2. VARIOUS OF SITE WHERE THIEVES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE ENTERED GROUNDS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“I was woken up by the police officers at a quarter to seven, it was strange. I was asking, ‘What’s going on?’”

JOURNALIST SAYING: “They knocked on your door?”

LUC SAYING: “Yes, yes, they knocked, because they came by that way. And to get to the museum, you have to go past the school. It’s on the other side, right on the other side. And I’m the museum’s next-door neighbour, along the length of this side. That's why they came to scout the area and they came by this way.”

4. POLICE CAR PARKED NEAR SITE

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“Well, there's no one. I live up there, and next door are elderly residents. So, yes, they (thieves) were left alone, unfortunately.”

6. POLICE CAR

7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“Of course it's unsettling. And then what? Well, they’re targeting all the museums. We really need to react and do something to stop this from happening again.”

8. (MUTE) STILL OF POLICE OUTSIDE RENOIR MUSEUM

9. (MUTE) STILL OF SITE WHERE THIEVES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE ENTERED GROUNDS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

10. (MUTE) STILL OF MUSEUM ENTRANCE

(SEPTEMBER 8, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

2. VARIOUS OF SITE WHERE THIEVES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE ENTERED GROUNDS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“I was woken up by the police officers at a quarter to seven, it was strange. I was asking, ‘What’s going on?’”

JOURNALIST SAYING: “They knocked on your door?”

LUC SAYING: “Yes, yes, they knocked, because they came by that way. And to get to the museum, you have to go past the school. It’s on the other side, right on the other side. And I’m the museum’s next-door neighbour, along the length of this side. That's why they came to scout the area and they came by this way.”

4. POLICE CAR PARKED NEAR SITE

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“Well, there's no one. I live up there, and next door are elderly residents. So, yes, they (thieves) were left alone, unfortunately.”

6. POLICE CAR

7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) LOCAL RESIDENT WHO LIVES NEAR RENOIR MUSEUM, LUC, SAYING:

“Of course it's unsettling. And then what? Well, they’re targeting all the museums. We really need to react and do something to stop this from happening again.”

8. (MUTE) STILL OF POLICE OUTSIDE RENOIR MUSEUM

9. (MUTE) STILL OF SITE WHERE THIEVES ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE ENTERED GROUNDS OF RENOIR MUSEUM

10. (MUTE) STILL OF MUSEUM ENTRANCE